Because Ryoma Likes Sakuno
by KenRik
Summary: Related oneshots on how Ryoma confesses to Sakuno. Forgive the profanities. This time, Ryoma's becomes a tad bit cheeky what with the pick-up lines and all. RxR!
1. The damn snickering bushes

Disclaimer: I don't own POT. If I did. SAKUNO would be shown A WHOLE LOT MORE.

A/N: MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)

* * *

Shut up.

**Because Ryoma Likes Sakuno.**

There are a lot of reasons why Ryoma Echizen, the resident Prince of Tennis and _hottie_, was pissed. One reason—his seniors. The upperclassmen he _thought_ he could depend on. The very _reason_ why he, introvert and whatnot, did what he did.

"He_ did_ what?" Momoshiro Takeshi, Seigaku's Powerhouse, guffawed shamelessly. The prick even managed to point a rather humiliating _turn-your-heads-over-there_ finger at the guy. Ryoma cursed under his breath as he watched his seniors fall on their knees, trying to catch breath amidst their raving fits of laughter. Ryoma scowled at them.

"Yeah—yeah! You should've _seen_ his face!" Kikumaru Eiji, Mr. Acrobat-like-a-cat, managed to say amidst stomach-aching laughter. "It was red and everything!"

"Sto—stop it, guys." Oishi Shuichirou, _mommy_, said as sternly as he could because apparently, he couldn't help but laugh as well. "You're making Echizen-kun uncomfortable." He managed to blurt out amidst hisses of prime laughing gas. Amazingly though, this just made them all explode in laughter even more so than before.

Ryoma, sitting there all but unnoticed, swore he'd go mad that exact moment. Suddenly, his scowl, no matter how much of a death-bringer it was, didn't seem to fit anymore. His face puffed red with anger.

He wasn't _just_ pissed anymore.

That was how tennis practice ended that day. That _cursed_ day, as Ryoma so bluntly puts it.

"Ready to go, Ryoma-kun?" Ryoma jumped from his seat. His heart missed a beat.

Oh dandy, what a _treat_.

It was Ryuzaki Sakuno, the main object of his affecti—wait. His problems.

Ryoma nodded awkwardly in reply. He cursed as he trekked back to the changing room. Suddenly, the whole team shut up. And everyone. _Everyone_, Tezuka _included_, was burning holes at his back.

Fucking _shit_.

A few minutes and curses later, Ryoma met Sakuno at the courts. The fucking whole team was _gone_. Ryoma turned his head.

Then scowled.

Glared.

And cursed.

He could swear, somewhere beyond the bushes, someone was snickering.

The glare intensified.

"Everything okay, Ryoma-kun?" Ryoma's head turned back to Sakuno. Her hands were playing with a stray tennis ball.

"Hn." Ryoma grunted, trying his best to keep cool as he walked away from the courts with Sakuno on his tail.

The snickering bushes followed them.

"So… rumor has it that you confessed to a third year cosplayer."

Ryoma froze.

Then, ever so slowly, turned to face her incredulously.

It was pass five. Did she _not_ want to go home?

"I—"

He choked. His face grew red.

Sakuno looked away. Still, a smile glazed her face.

Ryoma couldn't say anything. He didn't _know_ what to say. Suddenly, a stray shoe came out of nowhere, squarely hitting Ryoma on the head. His gaze shot westward in a glare deadlier than death itself. He was about to curse when Sakuno turned around to look at him.

Damn.

"Cat got your tongue?" She laughed lightly. Her face radiated lightly with the sunset.

Suddenly, Ryoma started smiling _slightly_. She just didn't know her effect on him.

Forgetting about the unwanted onlookers, Ryoma simply shrugged.

"Not really." He told her teasingly as he spun around and started walking away. Sakuno flustered.

"Wait!" She cried as she ran to him. Upon reaching him, she grabbed hold of his arm and flashed him a grin.

"Whatever you say." She laughed, all ready to walk home.

Ryoma suddenly turned to her. And, unable to stop himself, leaned down and kissed her.

Sakuno, dazed, could only stare back in shock.

Ryoma pulled away a few gasps later, and flashed Sakuno a grin himself.

"Mada mada dane." He smirked.

And just like that, he wasn't _that_ pissed anymore.

* * *

**TBC**. Everyone's in a hurry 'cause its Christmas. Forgive my grammar, I'mma edit it later. ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!


	2. Late show with david letterman

Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. Because if I had, Sakuno would've been on the New manga.

* * *

You sure this isn't a joke?

**The Late Show With David Letterman: Starring Ryoma Echizen**

I sat down and switched on the television, sighing, although a smile grazed my lips. I had promised him I'd watch today's segment. I sighed once more. I'll watch it even if I did hate the show. Suddenly I frowned, reprimanding myself. Ryoma-kun was kind enough to hook me up with cable. As in really, he patched it up himself, all I did was stand there and tell him if the signal was fine. The least I could do now was watch his interview in the Late Show with David Letterman.

Finally, the opening credits started. There were other guests, other Hollywood stars. Ryoma-kun had said he would be the last to be interviewed, what with him being the top dog of, well, stardom and whatnot. When it was his turn, I couldn't help but squeal. That was my friend up there! That's my Ryoma-kun! There!

And here I was, thinking I was finally used to this. After all, Ryoma-kun has starred in a lot of advertisements, even starred on famous TV series like How I Met Your Mother or the Kid's Choice awards or even the Simpsons.

"So, Ryoma tell me one thing. Why no girl? Are you gay or something?" Letterman laughed jokingly. Well, at least I thought he was. Oh, and if you think I was bothered by the question, I was not. I was used to it. After all, I knew Ryoma-kun's love life. And well, the lack thereof.

"Well." Ryoma started, hesitating a little bit to catch the audience, which he had already done by the way, simply by just showing up. "To start, I'm telling you now I'm not gay."

Letterman laughed.

"And against popular belief, I do have a girl."

My breath suddenly hitched. Well, that was new. How could he not tell me?

"I even told her to watch the show."

Letterman's brow raised in interest.

"Then why don't we call her up."

See, now that was where the magic started. How do shows suddenly call up some random person without even asking for their contact number. Well, I think they would have asked beforehand, but still.

Suddenly my phone rang.

And I died then and there.

When I came to, I scrambled up to my phone and answered. The voice immediately asked.

"Are you watching this?"

"Yes!" I squeaked.

"God, awful right? Didn't he tell anything to you?" Tomoka asked incredulously. I could hear her chomping on an apple.

"No."

"It seems like the line's busy." Letterman said on air. Ryoma frowned as the cast tried contacting once more. "I bet your lady's a vixen for all that's she's making you put up with." He laughed. Ryoma merely cringed, hoping the person they're contacting would finally have the decency to pick up her phone.

"Anyway. I'll hang up now. Most likely, it's you who they're calling up. BYE!"

And then just like that, it hit me.

"Shit!" I cried in horror as my phone started ringing again.

"Finally! It's ringing." Letterman says on the show. I could barely hear him, what with the loud thumping of my heart. It was then that it only occurred to me. I was Ryoma-kun's only girl friend! I was the only girl he'd talk to! Yet alone probably love.

No wait, Sakuno. Don't get over your head. Just because that phone is ringing right now, doesn't mean that's Letterman trying to call the love of Ryoma's life.

a.k.a YOU.

Oh no. She couldn't help but cry. What if it was them? She wouldn't know what to say. And knowing her history of nervous attacks, she would probably say the wrong thing.

The phone continued ringing. And she continued staring at it as if it was bound to eat her.

Meanwhile, Ryoma was starting to get pissed.

"You sure she's part of the living, Ryoma?" Letterman laughed for the nth time that night. Ryoma cringed, finally snapping.

"Damnit, Sakuno! Pick up the phone!" He yelled horrifyingly. Oh God, that would be on the news tomorrow. And on the internet like, after a few seconds.

My face grew white. In my head, I could hear Tomoka banging me with a chair, forcing me to pick up my phone. And within a few moments, I did.

"Hello."

From home, I could tell their faces all went white. Suddenly, none of them were talking.

"Can you hear me?" I almost died. Sakuno, I told myself. If you can hear your voice resonating from the sound tubes of your television set, then of course they could hear you, you dimwitted girl!

Finally, after a few moments, Ryoma started.

"Yeah. We can hear you loud and clear." He huffed. If I had a better television set, I would've seen his cheeks redden. Oh well, I'll leave that sight to an incredibly rich Chinese family settling comfortably on their sofa.

"So, you're Ryoma's girl, Sakuno Ryuzaki?" Letterman butted in.

"Yes." I squeaked. Then suddenly realized I was _not_ Ryoma's girl. Emphasis on Ryoma's girl. "NO!" I screamed. God was this humiliating. "Well, I mean, I'm Ryoma's girl friend."

"So you ARE his girlfriend?"

"No! What I mean to say is, Ryoma-kun is a dear friend of mine and if he finds a lover, I would totally support him."

"And what if I told you all I need is you?" Ryoma butted in nonchalantly, looking straight into the camera. Looking straight right at me. I couldn't answer.

"I love you, Sakuno." He said in finality. I could hear the audience applaud him for his bravery. And well, guess how I dealt with it.

"You're joking, right?" I didn't notice that the people's commotion died down with my words. And Ryoma couldn't help to arch a brow.

"No, I'm not." Then it hit him. "Why would I joke on national-

"International." Letterman butted in.

"T.V.?"

Then of course, the line suddenly died.

"Waah!" I cried in shock as I stared at my phone. It's dead. And I had no landline. Oh, Kami-sama, Ryoma's going to kill me.

"She's gone?" Letterman wondered, looking backstage. Ryoma, meanwhile, could only sigh in disappointment. He should've known better that Sakuno Ryuzaki wouldn't have dealt with this properly, let alone in one piece. "Well that was a waste of air time." He laughed. That was all he could do that night, laugh. And it's all he ever did.

The show continued on amidst the error of making that one supposedly simple phone call. They had talked a little about Ryoma's latest games and family. And more of the girl named Sakuno Ryuzaki.

Sakuno was sprawled on her floor crying and reprimanding herself when she heard her name mentioned on the show.

"What do you like about her?" Letterman had asked.

"Well, maybe everything. She may seem ditzy and stupid, but she's really smart and proud under the proper circumstances." Ryoma answered musingly as he recalled his times with her. "I think I fell in love with her in high school. And a little more after every time I met up with her after college."

"How long did you know her? Was she a high school sweetheart?"

"No." Ryoma laughed. "She was far from my high school sweetheart. Well, not that I had any at the time."

"She was more of my advisor. She helped my social camaraderie by organizing my own campus wide fan club. She set out rules for anti-harassment. And she gave me a dating schedule."

"This went on for the most of high school until I left for the States. But before I did, I told her it was her I had wanted, specifically."

"I left after that, not even waiting for a reply."

The audience and Letterman listened intently. After all, it was the first time Ryoma Echizen opened up about his supposedly nonexistent love life. They were beyond air time, but the crew didn't stop. So the story continued airing throughout international television.

"We met two years later. In Japan, attending the same University, Tokyo U. We became good friends, and have stayed as such ever since. Today it's been four years since we've met in Tokyo U. And I was thinking that it was high time I told her how I actually felt."

"So, Sakuno, if you're listening. I'm right here. And it's no joke when I say that I love you. Because I really do."

"We've contacted her again, Ryoma." Letterman said, nodding to the crew backstage. In return, Ryoma looked at them thankfully.

"Sakuno?"

"Hai, Ryoma-kun." I heard her answer. Her voice was more stable than it had been earlier.

"I know that this is untoward but when I ask you to dinner tomorrow and propose to you, will you say yes?"

I knew she was smiling.

"Yes."


	3. It's Ryoma with his pickup lines

Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.

A/N: A short drabble on RyoSaku I found in my microsoft word stash. Hope you like it.

* * *

Did it hurt?

...?

When you fell from the sky and into my heart.

...lol.

**It's Ryoma with his pick-up lines**

Throughout the years Ryoma and Sakuno were able to form a bond, a casual and peaceful relationship amidst the turmoil of high school. They were friends. Not that close, but friends nonetheless. And surprisingly, Sakuno was more than satisfied with their relationship. At fifteen, she already grew from her timid childhood crush. Of course she still admired Ryoma, but it was different now. Now, their relationship was just peachy. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Usually during school days, the duo would stay together on the rooftop of school. Sakuno would have a big lunch prepared for two and Ryoma would gladly dig in every time. And as this happens, only few words would be uttered. This was where their peaceful relationship entered.

So much to Sakuno's surprise, one day, Ryoma strikes a conversation with her.

"You look tired." He had said that fateful day, eyeing not Sakuno but the food served in front of him.

"Oh? I do?"

"Yeah." Ryoma repeated, now turning to face her. Sakuno could only fight back the faint blush tempting to puff on her face. "I think I know why."

"Why?" Sakuno asked, downright curious. She herself was thinking on why she looked tired when she felt particularly normal.

"Yeah. I definitely know why."

"Why then?" Sakuno repeated crudely, her eyes desperate. Ryoma's lips perked at her sudden redness.

"You're tired because you've been running through my mind all day, haven't you?" He finally said, his cheeks were tinted pink and his lips were fighting back laughter. Sakuno on the other hand deadpanned. She did not have a single clue as to how to react to his… joke. It was so out of character.

"Are you okay, Ryoma-kun? Did senpai-tachi force you to say that?" She asked, concerned instead as moved closer to Ryoma.

"No. I'm okay." Ryoma said, still with that smile. "It's just too hard."

"What is?" Sakuno asked worriedly, a familiar pink hue rising up her cheeks.

"You're 5"3 right?" Ryoma said.

"Yes. But I don't get it. There's no connection to—"

"Then how did you fit inside my heart?" His tone this time was dead serious. Sakuno's face immediately turned red.

"Ryo—Ryoma-kun? Are you okay?"

"Wait, wait. I just noticed something different about you."

"Wha—what is it?" Sakuno asked. Unsure whether or not it was safe talking to Ryoma what with his current condition. Whatever his condition may be.

"You've grown taller."

"Really?" Sakuno said, suddenly perking up.

"Yeah. Because last time, you were just by the height of my shoulders," Ryoma started, gesturing to his left shoulder. "but now…" His hand trailed up and he said, as his finger pointed to the temple of his head. "You're already in my mind."

"…"

"Oh no."

"Why…? Ryoma-kun, I—I don't understand you." Sakuno cried lightly. Ryoma only grinned at her, sitting up straight, staring at her with a grin on his face.

"It's okay. Don't get fazed. Just try riding along with it. I've learned these lines online and I just want to try them out."

Sakuno slowly smiled amidst obvious confusion.

"You should've told me earlier." She laughed. "You scared me."

Ryoma only grinned.

"Oh no. I said." Ryoma repeated. Sakuno only smiled. "You didn't grow at all did you."

Suddenly, her face fell.

"But—I did grow."

"No. Trust me. Because before, you're height reached my head." Ryoma pointed at his temple. "And now," His hands trailed down by his chest. "You've shrunk and reached my heart."

Sakuno froze red.

"I—I"

_Riiiiiing_

"Oh. There goes the bell." Ryoma simply said all the sudden. Sakuno, as fazed as she was, could only give him a small smile as she stood up and collected her belongings.

"It's okay, Ryoma-kun. You can tell me more of your jokes later dismissal." She smiled sweetly amidst her shallow breathing. Ryoma merely turned to her and said.

"Wait."

"Hmm?"

"I lost something."

"Oh? What did you lose?" Sakuno asked, dropping onto her knees as she looked into her pile, thinking she might've gotten Ryoma's stuff by mistake.

"I lost my mind after falling for you."

Ryoma grinned as Sakuno's jaw dropped.

"Okay, I'm done." He finally said, standing up. "Let's go to class."

Sakuno could only nod, still red from Ryoma's pick-up lines. Holding a hand out to her, Ryoma took her by the arm to help her up and simply said.

"You know, not all of those were meant to be jokes."

He was already dashing down the stairwell before Sakuno could turn to face him with her widened eyes that creased questioningly.

* * *

Later on that day, Tomoka approached Sakuno with a brow raised.

"Why are you so red, Sakuno?" She asked, her hands perked on her waist.

"Ryoma…" Sakuno breathed wearily, falling onto her desk to cool her flaming cheeks.

Meanwhile, on the tennis courts, Ryoma was busy evading Momoshiro's playful hits.

"So you said all of those?" Momoshiro laughed. Ryoma nodded.

"I've got a few more. I'll be telling them to her later." He grinned, leaving Momoshiro for a duel with a nonregular. And as Momo stared at Ryoma's retreating back, he couldn't help but think to himself,

"He was already saying those things and yet he couldn't even ask her out to a simple date." Snickering, he continued. "Mada mada dane, Ryoma."

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The End.

I've got loads more of corny pick-up lines if you guys want a sequel to this story. And~ I learned something new. HAHA. Get ready to be amazed~!

CLICK AND REVIEW~ Any word is good enough. lol. AHAHA.

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